Volleyball Continues Conference Play at ECU and Cincinnati

Friday, October 21

Greenville, N.C.

7:00 p.m.

Temple University

East Carolina

Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University

Volleyball Continues Conference Play at ECU and Cincinnati

10.19.16 | Women's Volleyball

Live Stats (ECU)Watch (ECU)Live Stats (Cincinnati)Watch ($) (Cincinnati)Match Notes (PDF)

PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple volleyball team will look to get back to their winning ways this weekend, playing matches at East Carolina (Friday, 7:00 p.m.) and Cincinnati (Sunday, 1:00 p.m.)

FOLLOW
    • at ECU - Watch | Live Stats
    • at Cincinnati - Watch ($) | Live Stats

SCOUTING THE OWLS
   Junior Irem Asci leads the Temple offense, racking up 4.21 kills per set, ranking her second in the conference and 22nd in the nation. Junior Izzy Rapacz (2.78 kills/set) and senior Tyler Davis (2.05 kills/set) attack from the outside for Temple, while senior Kirsten Overton (1.68) and Iva Deak (1.60 kills/set) shore up the middle. Junior Kyra Coundourides is Temple's top setter, averaging 10.39 assists per set, while sophomore Hannah Vandegrift adds 4.05 assists per frame.
   Defensively, Temple is led by sophomore Mia Heirakuji, who averages 3.40 digs per set. Asci (2.85 digs/set), Rapacz (2.47 digs/set), and Coundourides (2.40 digs/set) beef up the back row for the Owls. At the net, Temple is led by Deak's 69 total blocks, while Overton has 68 and Rapacz, 64.
   As a team, Temple hits .238 and holds opponents to a .196 attack. The Owls rank second in the American in aces per set (1.42), and third in kills (13.48), assists (12.62), and blocks (2.18) per set.

LAST TIME OUT: UCF 3, TEMPLE 2 (AMERICAN)
   Temple battled back from an 0-2 deficit, but ultimately came up short, as visiting UCF topped the Owls, 3-2, in Temple's "Dig Pink" match on Sunday. Set scores were 25-21, 25-13, 12-25, 19-25, 15-13.
   After hitting only .054 in the first two sets combined, Temple hit .401 over the final three sets. The Owls also held UCF to a .164 attack in the final three frames, but Temple came up two points shy in the third to suffer its second-straight loss.
   Junior Irem Asci racked up 22 kills with 14 digs and two blocks, while senior Tyler Davis had 14 kills with just one error, hitting .382. Senior Kirsten Overton had a fantastic game in the middle, putting down 10 kills without a blemish, hitting .476 with three blocks. Junior Izzy Rapacz notched nine kills and 11 digs, while classmate Kyra Coundourides had 32 assists, seven digs, and a match-best three aces.

LAST TIME OUT: USF 3, TEMPLE 0 (AMERICAN)
   Temple dropped a 3-0 decision at the hands of visiting USF on Friday night, 25-17, 25-17, 28-26.
   Senior Tyler Davis was nearly unstoppable, racking up nine kills with no errors, hitting .500. Junior Irem Asci notched 12 kills, while classmate Izzy Rapacz and sophomore Iva Deak added six each. Senior Caroline Grattan added three kills and four digs in just over a set of work, while junior Janine Simmons also did damage in just one frame, tallying two kills with five blocks, two of which were solo.
   Junior Kyra Coundourides dished out 35 assists, tying for team-high honors with seven digs, while Rapacz also dug seven balls. Junior Dara Peric added six digs to round out the Temple numbers.

SCOUTING EAST CAROLINA
After starting 0-5 in conference play, East Carolina has won three-straight to improve to 3-5 in The American, 13-5 overall.
   The Pirates are led by Sydney Darden's 3.21 kills per set, with the outside hitter also adding 2.40 digs per set, which ranks third on the team. Three other players average 2.00 kills per set or better, including I'Tiana Taylor (2.76), Natalia Montini (2.29) and Lael Ceriani (2.08). Sabrina Gonzalez distributes the offense, with 10.52 assists per set, while also ranking second on the team with 3.15 digs per set.
   Elsewhere, Brandee Markwith tops the team with 4.26 digs per set, while Ashton Mares contributes 2.41 digs per frame. At the net, Ashley McCrae leads the team with 71 blocks, while Montini adds 65 stuffs, including a team-best 11 solo.

OWLS VS. THE PIRATES
   Temple is 4-0 all-time against East Carolina, with all four wins coming in the American Athletic Conference.

SCOUTING CINCINNATI
    After splitting its opening conference series, Cincinnati has rattled off six-straight wins to improve to 7-1 in The American, 12-7 overall.
    The Bearcats are led by reigning American Freshman of the Year, Jordan Thompson, who leads the team and the conference with 4.71 kills per set. She also ranks 18 in the nation in the category. Also bolstering the Cincinnati attack is classmate Carly Nolan who averages 3.41 kills per set, while adding 2.73 digs per frame. Outside hitter Ciara Hill (2.84 kills/set) and setter Jade Tingelhoff (10.35 assists/set) also contribute offensively.
    In the back row, Abby Williams leads Cincinnati with 3.37 digs per set, while Tingelhoff adds 2.38 per frame. AT the net, Thompson and Maya Muldrow each have 47 blocks, while Lise Alaiwan and Hill have both tallied 34 on the season.
    As a team, Cincinnati hits .243, while holding opponents to a .203 attack.

OWLS VS. THE BEARCATS
   Temple holds a 7-3 lead in the all-time series against Cincinnati. The teams split a pair of matches last season with each team winning on their home court.

PHILADELPHIA BIG 5 CHAMPIONS
   Temple won the 2016 Philadelphia Big 5 Championship for the third time in program history. The Cherry and White swept Villanova (3-0) on Friday, and then topped La Salle (3-1) and Penn (3-0) on Saturday to claim the title.

TEMPLE INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONS
   Temple won the 2016 Sonesta Hotel Temple Invitational with a pair of victories last weekend. The Owls topped Northern Arizona, a 2015 NCAA Tournament team, 3-1 on Friday, and then swept Hampton, 3-0, on Saturday.

TEMPLE PICKED TO FINISH SECOND
   Three Temple volleyball players earned American Athletic Conference pre-season honors, while the Owls were picked to finish second in a vote of the leagues' coaches. Temple's three selections -- senior Kirsten Overton, and juniors Irem Asci and Izzy Rapacz, were the most for any American squad.
   Temple earned two first-place votes in the coaches' poll, and finished in second place in the final tally with 88 points. The Owls ended last season in second place with a 15-5 conference mark and a 24-8 overall record and return three of their four All-Conference selections from 2015.

TWO TEMPLE MATCHES TO AIR ON AMERICAN DIGITAL NETWORK
   Two Temple volleyball matches will be part of the American Digital Network's 18-game fall schedule. The Owls will air live on ADN for matches against UCF (away) and SMU (home). ADN is covering a total of three volleyball matches this fall.

Match Notes (PDF)